


The Soul-Eater

by Zalphon



Category: Elder Scrolls, Elder Scrolls I: Arena, Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall, Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, Elder Scrolls Online, Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, The Elder Scrolls: Legends
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-15
Updated: 2019-10-15
Packaged: 2020-12-31 01:51:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 598
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21040478
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zalphon/pseuds/Zalphon
Summary: A series of murders have transpired across Cyrodiil with the same profile: beautiful, young girls.  The murders all share the same signatures: fang marks, geometric patterns carved into the abdomen, and the milky-grey eyes of a soul trap victim.  Collin Draconis, a member of the Imperial Order of Investigation has been tasked with putting a stop to them.





	The Soul-Eater

**Part I: The Murder of Marana Hoff**

_By Collin Draconis, Imperial Investigator_

I had only ever been to Skingrad once before Hoff’s murder and it didn’t take me long to realize that it wasn’t the kind of place I wanted to ever come back to, but life doesn’t always go the way you expect it to. At least my life doesn’t and I don’t imagine Hoff’s did either. Nobody expects to die an early death, but here she is—a lifeless corpse on a cold stone slab and it breaks my heart. She’s young. Too young to be here like this and she’s pretty. Long black hair, high cheekbones, fair skin (and not just the pallor of death)—this was somebody’s daughter, somebody’s beautiful daughter and now she’s here. It’s a shame and it makes me think of my own daughter back in the City, but she doesn’t know me anymore—not since things got bad between her mother and I. But that’s not important right now—Hoff is.

She’s got all the signs of one of his victims. The fang marks on the neck, the geometric symbols carved into her abdomen, and the worst one of all—the milky-grey eyes of a soul trap victim. This girl couldn’t have been older than fifteen and now? Now she’s stuck in some sort of purgatory between this life and the next, because of this monster. Because of him—the Soul-Eater. 

I remember when the first murders came up with his signature moves. They happened all over Cyrodiil and all of them shared the same profile: beautiful young girls. Bravil. Anvil. Chorrol. There didn’t seem to be a pattern to his killings at first, except that he targeted these girls. I don’t know why and quite frankly I don’t care why. What I do care about is that he’s stopped, because every time I come up on one of these murders, I see Alessia on the stone slab and I don’t know what I’d do it if were her. I don’t know what any of these parents do. Cry? Scream? Throw things? It doesn’t matter what they do, their daughters are gone all the same and nothing they do will bring them back. I just wish we could. Not even for the parents—just because—this girl—she wasn’t ready. None of his victims were, but he went for them anyways and I hate him for it. What kind of monster does this? What kind of monster hunts little girls and doesn’t just kill them, but traps their souls? Is it some kind of game? Some sort of trophy for him? I don’t know, but whatever it is—I’ll stop him. I’ll stop him if it kills me. I have to.

And to you, Hoff—Marana, there’s nothing I can do for you right now, sweetheart. Believe me, I wish I could, but I promise you—I’ll get justice for you and when I do, I’ll break those gems wide open so you can return unto Arkay as you should have been allowed to when he hurt you. I promise. Just hold on tight, I promise I’ll make it better.

And now comes the part of the job I hate the most. Talking to the next of kin. I’ve already tracked down the Hoffs; they’re bakers on the East Side. Marana was their only child and I suppose she was a miracle child given her mother was thought to be barren. I just hope Twin Sisters’ pours strong; I’m going to need something stiff after this.

_-Collin Draconis, Imperial Investigator_


End file.
